diff --git a/meilidb-core/src/database.rs b/meilidb-core/src/database.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..620b1d462
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meilidb-core/src/database.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::io;
+use std::path::Path;
+use std::sync::{Arc, RwLock};
+use crate::{store, Index, MResult};
+
+pub struct Database {
+    pub rkv: Arc<RwLock<rkv::Rkv>>,
+    main_store: rkv::SingleStore,
+    indexes: RwLock<HashMap<String, Index>>,
+}
+
+impl Database {
+    pub fn open_or_create(path: impl AsRef<Path>) -> MResult<Database> {
+        let manager = rkv::Manager::singleton();
+        let mut rkv_write = manager.write().unwrap();
+
+        let rkv = rkv_write
+            .get_or_create(path.as_ref(), |path| {
+                let mut builder = rkv::Rkv::environment_builder();
+                builder.set_max_dbs(3000).set_map_size(10 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024); // 10GB
+                rkv::Rkv::from_env(path, builder)
+            })?;
+
+        drop(rkv_write);
+
+        let rkv_read = rkv.read().unwrap();
+        let create_options = rkv::store::Options::create();
+        let main_store = rkv_read.open_single("indexes", create_options)?;
+
+        // list all indexes that needs to be opened
+        let mut must_open = Vec::new();
+        let reader = rkv_read.read()?;
+        for result in main_store.iter_start(&reader)? {
+            let (key, _) = result?;
+            if let Ok(index_name) = std::str::from_utf8(key) {
+                must_open.push(index_name.to_owned());
+            }
+        }
+
+        drop(reader);
+
+        // open the previously aggregated indexes
+        let mut indexes = HashMap::new();
+        for index_name in must_open {
+            let index = store::open(&rkv_read, &index_name)?;
+            indexes.insert(index_name, index);
+        }
+
+        drop(rkv_read);
+
+        Ok(Database { rkv, main_store, indexes: RwLock::new(indexes) })
+    }
+
+    pub fn open_index(&self, name: impl Into<String>) -> MResult<Index> {
+        let indexes_lock = self.indexes.read().unwrap();
+        let name = name.into();
+
+        match indexes_lock.get(&name) {
+            Some(index) => Ok(*index),
+            None => {
+                drop(indexes_lock);
+
+                let rkv_lock = self.rkv.read().unwrap();
+                let index = store::create(&rkv_lock, &name)?;
+
+                let mut writer = rkv_lock.write()?;
+                let value = rkv::Value::Blob(&[]);
+                self.main_store.put(&mut writer, &name, &value)?;
+
+                {
+                    let mut indexes_write = self.indexes.write().unwrap();
+                    indexes_write.entry(name).or_insert(index);
+                }
+
+                writer.commit()?;
+
+                Ok(index)
+            },
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn indexes_names(&self) -> MResult<Vec<String>> {
+        let indexes = self.indexes.read().unwrap();
+        Ok(indexes.keys().cloned().collect())
+    }
+}
diff --git a/meilidb-core/src/lib.rs b/meilidb-core/src/lib.rs
index 53bf47d8d..a8bc6d428 100644
--- a/meilidb-core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/meilidb-core/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 mod automaton;
+mod database;
 mod error;
 mod number;
 mod query_builder;
@@ -11,92 +12,14 @@ pub mod raw_indexer;
 pub mod serde;
 pub mod store;
 
-pub use self::query_builder::QueryBuilder;
-pub use self::raw_document::RawDocument;
+pub use self::database::Database;
 pub use self::error::{Error, MResult};
 pub use self::number::{Number, ParseNumberError};
+pub use self::query_builder::QueryBuilder;
 pub use self::ranked_map::RankedMap;
+pub use self::raw_document::RawDocument;
 pub use self::store::Index;
 
-use std::collections::HashMap;
-use std::io;
-use std::path::Path;
-use std::sync::{Arc, RwLock};
-
-pub struct Database {
-    rkv: Arc<RwLock<rkv::Rkv>>,
-    main_store: rkv::SingleStore,
-    indexes: RwLock<HashMap<String, Index>>,
-}
-
-impl Database {
-    pub fn open_or_create(path: impl AsRef<Path>) -> io::Result<Database> {
-        let manager = rkv::Manager::singleton();
-        let mut rkv_write = manager.write().unwrap();
-        let rkv = rkv_write
-            .get_or_create(path.as_ref(), |path| {
-                let mut builder = rkv::Rkv::environment_builder();
-                builder.set_max_dbs(3000).set_map_size(10 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024); // 10GB
-                rkv::Rkv::from_env(path, builder)
-            })
-            .unwrap();
-
-        drop(rkv_write);
-
-        let mut indexes = HashMap::new();
-        let main_store;
-
-        {
-            let rkv_read = rkv.read().unwrap();
-            main_store = rkv_read
-                .open_single("indexes", rkv::store::Options::create())
-                .unwrap();
-
-            let mut must_open = Vec::new();
-
-            let reader = rkv_read.read().unwrap();
-            for result in main_store.iter_start(&reader).unwrap() {
-                let (key, _) = result.unwrap();
-                if let Ok(index_name) = std::str::from_utf8(key) {
-                    println!("{:?}", index_name);
-                    must_open.push(index_name.to_owned());
-                }
-            }
-
-            drop(reader);
-
-            for index_name in must_open {
-                let index = store::open(&rkv_read, &index_name).unwrap();
-                indexes.insert(index_name, index);
-            }
-        }
-
-        Ok(Database { rkv, main_store, indexes: RwLock::new(indexes) })
-    }
-
-    pub fn open_index(&self, name: impl Into<String>) -> MResult<Index> {
-        let read = self.indexes.read().unwrap();
-        let name = name.into();
-
-        match read.get(&name) {
-            Some(index) => Ok(*index),
-            None => {
-                drop(read);
-                let rkv = self.rkv.read().unwrap();
-                let mut write = self.indexes.write().unwrap();
-                let index = store::create(&rkv, &name).unwrap();
-
-                let mut writer = rkv.write().unwrap();
-                let value = rkv::Value::Blob(&[]);
-                self.main_store.put(&mut writer, &name, &value).unwrap();
-                writer.commit().unwrap();
-
-                Ok(*write.entry(name.clone()).or_insert(index))
-            },
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 use zerocopy::{AsBytes, FromBytes};
 use ::serde::{Serialize, Deserialize};
 
diff --git a/meilidb-core/src/main.rs b/meilidb-core/src/main.rs
index f40353f11..5d230c82c 100644
--- a/meilidb-core/src/main.rs
+++ b/meilidb-core/src/main.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ fn main() {
     fs::create_dir_all(path).unwrap();
 
     let database = Database::open_or_create(path).unwrap();
+    println!("{:?}", database.indexes_names());
+
     let hello = database.open_index("hello").unwrap();
     let hello1 = database.open_index("hello1").unwrap();
     let hello2 = database.open_index("hello2").unwrap();